2000
#109,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Dandoy
A French surname transferred from the French "Dandois", referring to someone from the town of d'Andon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 224 Americans carry the last name Dandoy. That puts it at #99,304 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,530,153 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dandoy surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
224
1 in 1,530,153
Census rank
#99,304
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
195
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 195 bearers of the surname Dandoy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 99304th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dandoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.6%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dandoy
The surname Dandoy has its origins in the Walloon region of Belgium, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "danfier," which means "to defy." The name may have been given to someone with a defiant or rebellious nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dandoy can be found in a charter from the year 1215, which mentions a certain "Johannes de Dandoi" from the village of Dandois, located near the city of Namur. This suggests that the name may have originally been a place name before becoming a surname.
In the 14th century, the Dandoy family was recorded as being part of the lesser nobility in the Duchy of Brabant. A notable figure from this period was Gilles Dandoy (1324-1392), a knight who served under Duke Wenceslas I of Brabant and participated in several military campaigns against the neighboring counties.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Dandoy name spread to other regions of Europe, particularly in France and the Netherlands. One prominent individual from this era was Pierre Dandoy (1570-1638), a Flemish painter and engraver known for his religious works, which can be found in several churches across Belgium and the Netherlands.
In the 19th century, a branch of the Dandoy family emigrated to North America, settling in the French-speaking regions of Canada and the United States. Étienne Dandoy (1810-1885), a farmer from Quebec, is considered one of the earliest bearers of the name in Canada.
Another notable figure was Jean-Baptiste Dandoy (1852-1923), a Belgian architect who designed several notable buildings in Brussels, including the Palais des Beaux-Arts and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
Throughout its history, the Dandoy surname has been associated with various professions, including military service, the arts, and agriculture, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dandoy
Among Census respondents with the surname Dandoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.6%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Dandoy bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dandoy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.1% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander24.6% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 16
- Two or more races3.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dandoy
Dandoy appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#106,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
+18 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 3,345 places
2020
#99,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 195
+28 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 7,266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,915 | 149 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #106,570 | 167 | 0.06 | +18 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 3,345 places |
| 2020 | #99,304 | 195 | 0.07 | +28 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 7,266 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dandoy surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #106,570 | #99,304 | 6.8% |
| Count | 167 | 195 | 16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dandoy bearers went from 167 to 195 (+16.8% change). The surname moved up 7,266 positions in the national ranking, going from #106,570 to #99,304.
FAQ
Dandoy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dandoy?
Name Census estimates that about 224 living Americans carry the surname Dandoy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,530,153 residents.
How common is Dandoy?
Dandoy ranks #99,304 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 195 people with the surname Dandoy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (224), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dandoy.
Has Dandoy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dandoy went from 167 recorded bearers to 195. That is an increase of 28 (+16.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #106,570 to #99,304.
What does the Census say about the background of Dandoy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dandoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.6%) and Hispanic (8.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dandoy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.1% (123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dandoy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (24.6%), Hispanic (8.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dandoy (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dandoy mean?
A French surname transferred from the French "Dandois", referring to someone from the town of d'Andon. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dandoy (0.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Dandoy?
Want to know how common the surname Dandoy is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.